THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9506300169
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 187 lines
All Heaven broke loose as soon as Jerry Scott told the Pentacostal parishioners to ``get your minds on Jesus Christ.''
Jesus was on the minds and in the hearts of the 100 or so worshippers seated in an open pavilion atop a manicured hill in the West Virginia mountain town of Ranson.
The members of Word of Faith Tabernacle were ready for musical action and the Southern Gospel singers from Franklin were ready to provide it.
The Scotts praised God in song, the congregation joining them with shouts of ``hallelujah,'' with handclapping, cheering, shouting.
This was not `sit-on-your-hands-and-stay-quiet' worshipping, but a hi-fi, high-five `God-is-definitely-here' service, the perfect background for The Scotts whose voices are as strong as their faith.
The concert started on a warm, sunny day, continued into darkness. The night was cool but not the ardor. Some mothers bundled their children, protecting them from the night air, holding baby with one hand, raising the other hand heavenward in praise.
During the past few years The Scotts had made several appearances at this church about 12 miles from the Virginia line and, ironically, about a mile from a club advertising exotic dancers.
The church, like many places where The Scotts appear, is a venue they would not have played a few decades ago.
``We are Southern Gospel's first black family group,'' their leader, Jerry, proclaims at most appearances, a proclamation answered in cheers. ``We were raised in black gospel, but we always had a Southern Gospel sound.''
Originally, that sound was distinctive four-part harmony with a minimum of instrumental help. Today, it often sounds like country music, sometimes like '50s rock. Its modern sounds are the reasons for its recent burst of appeal.
The Scotts are part of that appeal, musically and spiritually.
They are members of Scott's Revival Center, a Holiness church in Franklin. Their father, the Rev. Clinton L. Scott is pastor, their mother, Bernice, is organist.
About 40 years ago, Mom decided there were enough family members to start a singing group. At the time, the oldest youngster was 8 - and ready.
``I have 11 children, about 35 or 40 grandchildren and about 19 great-grandchildren,'' Bernice said. ``Most of them live nearby.''
The makeup of the performers changes fairly regularly, younger members replacing older ones who leave the group.
The Scotts sang locally until 1987 when Tim Greene heard them.
``He was the first person to give us a break,'' Jerry, Bernice's son and leader of the group, said. ``He sings with his family group and works with other groups trying to get started.''
The Scotts major break came in 1993 when Karen Peck went shopping and got goosebumps.
Peck, the lead singer of one of Southern Gospel's leading groups, Karen Peck & New River, was in a mall during National Quartet Convention Week in Nashville.
From a distance, she heard The Scotts. Closer to the bone, she claims, it was goosebump time.
Peck introduced the family to Beckie Simmons, co-owner of Century II Promotions in Music City, an organization working with several of the most famous names in Southern Gospel, including the nation's No. 1 group, Gold City.
The company also works with such country artists as Tammy Wynette, Garth Brooks, George Jones.
``The Scotts are one of the most anointed groups I've ever seen. I believe in them so much I got them with a major label - Sonlite. They didn't have to start at the bottom and work up,'' said Simmons, who is their personal manager. ``I put my reputation on the line for them.''
Simmons' reputation is safe. Their single, ``He Rolled My Heavy Burdens Away,'' is currently No. 60 on the top 100 in the Gospel Voice magazine chart.
The Scotts are scheduled to perform Sept. 2 at the Geo Theater in Opryland, and will appear in the next Bill and Gloria Gaither video. This year they earned two nominations in Gospel Voice magazine's Diamond Awards - the Sunrise Award for newcomers, and recognition for their album, ``In It For the Love.'' The winners will be announced in September.
In May, they were the only Southern Gospel group chosen to perform during Christian Cultural Week in Poland.
``The crowd response was amazing,'' said Terry, Jerry's twin. ``We did several concerts and always had to do one to three encores.''
A tape of that performance plays in the custom bus, which sleeps nine. The ex-Greyhound is expected to cover 100,000 miles this year.
The bus is their home, and their Franklin houses have become their homes away from home.
On the road The Scotts - seven vocalists and instrumentalists - sometimes park at truck stops, sleeping on the small but comfortable beds in the bus, then renting a shower stall.
Eating is also unpredictable. Sometimes, it's fast food, or when they do have time, they eat a decent meal, although the hours can be challenging - in one case recently, a 1 a.m. breakfast.
``I'm going to church behind the wheel. Thank you, Jesus - thank you, Jesus - thank you, Jesus,'' Jerry said, as he urged the bus up a Virginia mountain road, his chant sounding like a religious version of ``The Little Train That Could.''
Jerry, Terry and keyboardist Jay Brown of Suffolk - the only one not in the family - take turns at the wheel.
It is Jerry who steers The Scotts. He is the lead singer, the road manager, preacher, revivalist, an attention-getter. But the group is strictly a harmonious family affair.
The harmony is in the music and during their travels - no egos, no arguments. They are as they sing - love-filled.
At home, The Scotts are not well-known. But in certain areas, particularly in Pennsylvania Dutch country, they have built a solid reputation.
And slowly, they are becoming familiar figures in the national Southern Gospel scene.
At James Madison University in Harrisonburg, they opened for J.D. Sumner & The Stamps, who often worked with Elvis Presley.
Souvenir tables were set up, the Sumner table twice as large with twice as much merchandise, attracting twice as many people.
After The Scotts opened the show, lines gathered at their table for the cassettes, CDs and t-shirts that help put food on the bus's dining room table.
Southern Gospel is big business. Its major publications, all of which have spotlighted the family, show as many performers in that genre as country.
``I hope we never get so big where we can't perform at smaller places like these,'' Jerry said, referring to the West Virginia church.
The Scotts make fans, the fans become friends.
Several people from the mountain church visited Franklin to attend the wedding of Ginger, one of the singing sisters. Others from there, and from the Pennsylvania Dutch country that has embraced them, come to Virginia to worship at the family church.
The Scotts have been at the four-day outdoor gospel sing at Fireman's Park in Fredericksburg, Pa. four out of its five years.
``The people want 'em back. Everybody loves 'em because of their personality, their spirit,'' said Bill Miller, the promoter. ``This is a spirit-filled concert. We have about 1,000 people every night.''
The people who gather to hear The Scotts sometimes find themselves hearing preaching or watching healing.
In Fredericksburg, at a healing service ``a man who'd been unable to lift his hands can now do so,'' said Janice Wolf, a Church of Brethren member. ``It actually happened.''
At Word of Faith Tabernacle Jerry called on ``my precious sister, Jeanne,'' referring to the pastor's wife, put his hands on her forehead and twice commanded, ``take it away.''
Jeanne Coley had been staying in the car trying to enjoy the service from there while fighting her asthma. After Jerry called her up, she was able to join the others.
``The Scotts edify and exalt Jesus Christ,'' she said. ``That's what it's all about.''
Carletta Fellers, who has emphysema, was also in the audience.
Physically, she was helped with special breathing equipment. Spiritually, she was helped by The Scotts.
``They lift me up,'' Fellers said. ``They've got God all over them.''
When the Scotts played JMU with Sumner's band, Harold and Don Reid, of The Statler Brothers, were surprise visitors.
``They've got talent to spare and could loan us some of it,'' Harold said. ``They sing great and they look great.''
Like The Statlers, Sumner and The Stamps, The Scotts are making a good living as singers. They no longer work other jobs to support themselves.
They enjoy the material rewards and the fame but, most of all, they enjoy the opportunity to reach people across the world with God's message in song. MEMO: HAMPTON ROADS STATIONS THAT PLAY SOUTHERN GOSPEL: PAGE E6
ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
LEFT: The Scotts sign autographs after a concert at JMU.
FAR LEFT: Scotts fan Carletta Fellers, far left, says, "They've got
God all over them."
Part of the reality of life on the road for The Scotts is
occasionally getting lost.
BETH BERGMAN/Staff photos
Jerry Scott, center, is the leader of The Scotts. Here he ministers
in song to a small outdoor church in the mountains of Ranson, W.
Va.
Band singers Edna Freeman and Carl Foreman relax in the bus as it
heads for West Virginia. They were late for the show because they
got lost.
A fan shows his appreciation for The Scotts' upbeat music after a
concert in rural Pennsylvania.
The Scotts prepare for a night concert for a small church crowd in a
typical venue in Ranson, W. Va.
Jay Brown, the only member of the band who isn't part of the family,
catches up on his sleep on the bus.
by CNB